Prep Community News

Dear Prep families and carers,

We are now almost to the end of the term, and it is getting closer to the end of the year! It’s been incredible to witness the growth of our students with each passing day, and we’re excited to share the fantastic learning experiences happening in our classroom during Weeks 7 & 8.

Synthetic Phonics:

In Week 7, we learned the spelling choice for ‘Bright Night’, where /igh/ makes a long ī sound. This was our first trigraph which means we have three letters that make the one sound.

In Week 8, we learned the spelling choice for ‘Eat Bread’, where /ea/ can make two sounds. It says /ē/ (long sound) and /ĕ/ (short sound). When you are reading words at home and come across /ea/, you can encourage your child to make /ē/, the long sound first. If the word does not sound right or make sense, encourage your child to reread using /ĕ/, the short sound.

Below are the two new Heart Words that we have been practising:

Reading:

This term, we have been using our serial text ‘The Enchanted Wood’ to continue developing our reading skills. We’ve been focusing on inferring the characters’ feelings and making text-to-self connections. By reflecting on our own experiences, we can better understand and relate to the characters' emotions, which helps us make deeper connections with the story. 

Writing:

We are continuing to practice writing lists and cards this term. We’re learning to create lists using both numbered and bullet points, and exploring different types of cards, including ‘Invitation’ cards and ‘Thank You’ cards. Students will also be writing cards for their year 1 teachers.

Maths: 

In Weeks 7 and 8, we revised counting forwards and backwards, with a focus on understanding numbers and their quantities through a variety of engaging activities. These activities are important as they help strengthen our number sense, support mathematical fluency, and build a solid foundation for more complex concepts in the future.

Animal land Excursion 

Last week, on Thursday the 21st and Friday the 22nd of November, our prep students had an amazing excursion at Animal Land! They had a fantastic time experiencing all the fun activities, including planting, horseback riding, tractor rides, and even milking cows at the farm. The students were excited to interact with the animals and learned about life on the farm. It was a memorable day full of fun activities and hands-on learning that everyone will remember. At the end of the newsletter, you'll find some pictures capturing the highlights of the excursion. Enjoy!

Reminders:

-    Please remember to keep hats in your school bags.

-    As the weather begins to warm up, we kindly remind students to bring their hats and water bottles to school and to dress appropriately for the warmer temperatures. Staying hydrated and comfortable is important for a successful school day.

Warmest Wishes, 

PLC Prep